Happy Spring, everyone! Senior art major Hannah Ahern has created these beautiful graphics to celebrate this grey, spring day. She’s designed them specifically for desktop and mobile backgrounds, too. (iPhone) (desktop)

Marriage Debate—Feb. 3 A few political organizations on campus brought Sherif Girgis, an advocate for traditional marriage and co-author of the book What is Marriage?, and John Corvino, a Wayne State professor and gay marriage activist, to Hillsdale to debate the controversial issue of gay marriage. The turnout was so tremendous that event organizers had to stream the debate through television screens in the lobby because they ran out of room in the auditorium. President’s Ball—Feb. 7 Due to unfortunate circumstances, […]

The night air was cool against our cheeks as we boarded buses to take the long overnight trip to Washington D.C. on a Wednesday night. Around 50 Hillsdale students, bags and pillows in hand, were prepared to make the 10 hour bus ride to the March for Life, an annual event in Washington D.C. where members of the pro-life movement gather to protest the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. Students from every area of campus came. Looking around, […]

We had the chance to catch up with Christopher Landers, the runner-up in the Edward Everett Oratory Competition. We asked him about his speech preparation methods, memorization strategy, activities on campus, and post-graduation plans. Here are his answers: “I began researching and outlining in January over Christmas break. I had a final speech around the time the second semester began. Once it was memorized, I practiced once or twice a day the week before both the preliminary and final rounds. It […]

Sonnet √2 Prove root two is irrational number.Assume root two is not irrational.Root two is p o’er q, both integer.Note, no common factor in fractional.Let’s square both sides; multiply by q-squared.Then see p-squared is an even number.r an integer, p is 2r paired.Substitute 2r for p, don’t encumb’r.This means 2 r-squared is q-squared, but wait!Then q-squared is now an even number.q must be an even number. It’s fate!We see p and q both even numbers.p, q share a common factor nicely.We […]

Each year on March 14, people around the world celebrate a number. That’s strange! But March 14, when written as 3/14, gives the first few digits of the famous mathematical constant π, which is approximately equal to 3.14159265358979…. What is π and why is it so special that we honor it every March 14? To understand some reasons, let’s start at the beginning, or as close to the beginning as we can find, for the history of π spans nearly 4000 years […]

For Maran McLeod, her job is all about people. As the lead CCA student assistant, Maran has had the opportunity to meet and talk with many important CCA guests, including donors, friends of the college, and even actresses. Striving to make guests’ visits as pleasant as possible, Maran serves as hostess in addition to helping with registration packets, cards, and meals. Such personal interaction with the guests has gained her cherished friendships. One guest in particular, she reflects, has offered […]

There really never was any question in my mind as to where I would go to college. I learned to love Hillsdale at a very young age. Infancy, in fact. My childhood was filled with oversized Hillsdale College pajama shirts, Hillsdale College hats, and Hillsdale College sweaters. I was indoctrinated with a love for the place and a respect for the liberal arts. It’s only fitting that this is so; my parents met at Hillsdale. In a way, I am […]

We talked to Dylan after he won the competition about his speech-writing techniques and involvement with the Speech Team as well as Mock Trial. We thought his speech-writing traditions were pretty unique. What are your paper-writing or speech-writing tendencies? “Initially, there were so many ways to take the topic this year that I didn’t have any clear direction. About a week before I needed to submit my registration, Dr. Clark was lecturing on Buchanan and the role of government in Constitutional […]

How often do college students get to build castles with wooden blocks or make snowmen out of shaving cream? I can happily say that I have recently done both. At Mary Randall Preschool, these and other similarly delightful activities are everyday occurrences. Play is the order of the day, and the children enthusiastically welcome college volunteers to join in their fun. Each day (weather permitting) begins outside. Some of the children’s favorite outdoor activities include the swing set and the […]

I started taking Latin classes in seventh grade. At home, my zealous mother taught me all that she could of Latin, and when her ladle of motherly provision scraped the bottom of her generous pot, she hired a retired Benedictine priest to serve as my Latin tutor. By the time I applied to Hillsdale, I had a pretty good handle on Latin grammar, and I tested into the 201 level. I suppose that I thought that I had seen it […]

At the beginning of the year, you get asked the same five questions over and over again: name, year, potential major, hometown, and why you chose Hillsdale. Through this litany of questions, I began to realize that the way I had found and chosen Hillsdale College was perhaps not the most typical amongst my peers. Many have older siblings who attended or have parents who were long time subscribers of Imprimis. Many of them have come from very conservative families […]

About a year ago, I walked into the office of one of my English professors, sat down, and struck up a conversation. Purportedly—as far as he was concerned, and, even as far as I had convinced myself—I was there to talk about graduate school. And we did, for quite a while. But what I’ve realized in retrospect is that I did not, in fact, walk into that office to talk about graduate school. Like some kind of sinner, bearing on […]

A short, square man strides confidently into a classroom full of chattering freshmen. They don’t notice him. They are too busy arguing about Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, attempting to show off all that they learned from the preparatory assignment that Hillsdale prescribes to all incoming freshmen. The short man stops at his desk, looks ‘round the room quizzically, wondering at the air rich with arrogance, and slams his portfolio down hard. The sharp slap of paper on desk mutes the debate, […]

I was in eighth grade the first time I heard about Hillsdale College. My band teacher and middle school track coach graduated from here. Back then, I played the clarinet and ran the 800. I attended The Classical Academy—a K-12 charter school founded by parents in my home-town of Colorado Springs. My teachers all believed in classical liberal arts educational values, and I grew to believe in them as well. When I moved on to high school, I quit band […]

As anyone who has chatted with Dr. Fred Yaniga knows, he is passionate about everything German—the language, the culture, and the country itself. Walking down the hallway or in the cafeteria, Dr. Yaniga converses with students and professors in German as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and for him, it is just that. His deep interest in the German language began during his senior year of high school when he went on a student exchange […]

People ask me where I go to school. Most students have it pretty easy when asked this question because they can utter some three or four letter abbreviation, and whoever is inquiring will immediately know both name and relative location of said higher learning institution. I do not attend one of these schools. If someone were to ask me, and I said, “HC,” they would be waiting for me to add a third C for Hagerstown Community College (a fine […]

As many students already know, Dr. Somerville loves storytelling. Yes, as an English professor, he has a vested interest in telling stories—fictional or not—but in almost every class, he seems to sneak in just one more anecdote about his past. He certainly has had an interesting life. Dr. John Somerville grew up in South Korea, raised by two American missionaries. He learned about America through the limited television channels streaming American cartoons and sitcoms, and through American magazines and newspapers […]

Students here agree: our professors are masters of their craft. Every day, they strive passionately for the educational and personal development of their students, and, for that, we owe them something dear. But mastery and dedication are nothing new to the college. Indeed, excellence has run through the veins of Hillsdale professors from the start. Ransom Dunn, a professor and preacher, shaped the early history of the college over the course of a half-century. He helped the young, fledgling institution […]

I asked an eclectic group of established Hillsdale students to reflect on what they did well—or what they would have done differently—during their freshman year, and how incoming students can avoid making classic freshmen mistakes. “I wish I had done more of the readings.” —Madeleine C., Senior Madeleine suggests diving into the texts at Hillsdale. She assures that they are worth reading, and freshmen can benefit from reading on a deeper level than that required to pass an exam. […]

Most species of Staphylococcus (or Staph), a bacteria that resembles small clusters of round grapes when view under a microscope, are usually found residing harmlessly on the skin of humans and other organisms. However, a few species of Staph do pose serious threats to the human body, especially in people with compromised or suppressed immune systems, such as patients recovering from surgery. Most notable of these is Staphylococcus aureus, so-called for its golden pigment. Staph infections are responsible for a […]

Originally posted on Inessential Beauty:Being an adult is hard. Job searching is hard. Acquiring a job turns out to be even harder. In a time when jobs seem scarce and degrees mean a whole lot, I sometimes find myself wondering if my English degree from Hillsdale College and my liberal arts education really mean anything. I wonder if I should have done something more practical: nursing, business, accounting. A Hillsdale degree can get you a job almost immediately in the…

Predictions are that this year’s winter will include colder temperatures and more snowfall than average. Hillsdale Security is already on top of the game, preparing students for the cold weather, by sending out email reminders every so often. Director of Safety and Security William Whorley gives readers his top seven tips for staying safe this frigid term: Wear flat shoes: “Heels make it tough going.” Leave early: “It takes a little longer to put on a winter coat. This winter […]

From the excitement and nerves of living on their own to the panic and stress realized during “Hell Week” and finals week, students’ first semester of college is a learning experience. Freshmen had the opportunity to share exactly what they would tell themselves if they could travel back in time to before starting college. Mackenzie Yaussy wishes she had spent more time studying in high school to better prepare herself for the workload in college: “There’s definitely a lot more […]

The week before finals, otherwise known as “Hell Week” is finally upon us. As you’re scrambling to finish papers, projects, and exams, don’t give in to desperate panic! Use these practical tips to help you navigate this stressful time—and emerge with great grades and your health and sanity intact! 1. Eat! Your brain requires energy in order to operate. Make sure to eat healthy snacks, because as tempting as that pop tart is at 2 am, that is not the […]

Several weeks ago, Hillsdale hosted Greg Wolfe, Writer in Residence at Seattle Pacific University and founder of Image literary magazine. Unfortunately, nobody told him he’d missed Charger Homecoming by a short fourteen days. The visit was, however, something of a personal homecoming for Wolfe, who graduated from the college thirty-four years ago. Accompanied by his wife Suzanne, Wolfe returned to Hillsdale for a two-day celebration in honor of his work. In an event that included a performance by Americana-folk band […]

When asked how she ended up at Hillsdale, sophomore Ramona Tausz immediately points to something that will remain a theme throughout our conversation: the pursuit of truth. “I’m not going to say that we were fully aware of exactly what that entailed,” she says, speaking of herself and her parents. “But the idea appealed to us; it was attractive to us.” Her final two college options presented her with a choice that turned on something that became another theme of […]

You’ll find more than a couple people double-majoring in English and art at Hillsdale, and Phoebe Kalthoff argues that this happens because English is art with words. Phoebe is a junior at Hillsdale, hailing from the town of Hillsdale. Phoebe’s first love has always been art, and she appreciates art because she can recreate the beauty she sees in the world. When Phoebe studies English, she gets to read verbal descriptions of a scene and imagine the beauty this scene […]

Elsa Lagerquist is a freshman from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, majoring in Art. She is a member of the Hillsdale College Honors Program, and she participates in Orchestra, Swing Dance Club, and Ballroom Club. What drew you to Hillsdale College? I came to Hillsdale because I care a lot about liberty, and I really loved the environment here—a lot of people who really care about learning. I was also really excited that a school like this had an Art major. Hillsdale also […]

As dusk falls, a small group gathers near a stage on the quad. Beneath a slowly darkening sky, a set of string lights flickers to life, and a single figure, donning a scarlet sash, takes to the stage and opens a book. The other members of the group sit on folding chairs below, listening intently to the reader. After a few minutes, the reader descends and a new one mounts the stage. They read late into the night, drawing lovingly […]

Then, Goldilocks was feeling tired after her long adventure. She saw three chairs in the living room of the house in the woods. The first one was too hard. The second was too soft. But the third was just right. Finding the perfect college was kind of like that for freshman Mary Blendermann. She applied to Liberty University, a college with 12,600 residential enrollees, and Patrick Henry College, with around 300 students, in addition to Hillsdale College, with its 1,400 […]

What is your favorite story from your time at Hillsdale? This isn’t supposed to be what you think the college wants to hear, but what really is one of your favorite stories of being in college – the most ridiculous and the most hilarious ones; the ones that left you in tears of sorrow or joy; the ones that made you realize who you wanted to become. This was the question we posed to a group of professors, current students, […]

Anthony Manno, Director of the Student Activities Office (SAO), graduated from Hillsdale College in May and assumed his current position this semester. “I always joke that I have a fun job,” Manno smiles, “because it’s about distracting students and taking their focus off academics when everyone here is so focused on their schoolwork. Focusing first on academics is the philosophy that’s preached here—as it should be—but another part of the college experience is having a great time socially. We here in […]

Smiling as always, Dr. Benedict Whalen welcomes me into his office. Before coming to Hillsdale this semester, he taught at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. However, from the beginning of his teaching career, he has “aspired to teach at a small liberal arts school.” His invitation to teach at Hillsdale College allowed him to finally realize this dream. Dr. Whalen currently teaches Great Books, which he describes as a “delight,” and Renaissance British Literature. As a Renaissance scholar, he eagerly anticipates […]

While there are many kinds of students—scientists, musicians, or the like—it takes a very special, open-minded kind of person to be a liberal arts student. Christina Lambert, of Temecula, California, is such a person. When asked, “What is your major?” she smiled and replied, “That’s the joke.” When looking for a college, she applied to nine different schools, including Hillsdale College. She thought, “I want to go to a serious science school.” Although she knew that Hillsdale College offers a […]

As an English major whose last science class was sometime during freshman year, I was a little intimidated to sit down with senior Biochemistry major Matt Drogowski. However, I was relieved to find him both knowledgeable and eager to explain his major and his research in terms even a book worm like myself could understand. Matt’s passion for science needs no embellishment. When speaking with him, his interest in his research spills into nearly every aspect of conversation. For as long […]

Andrew Reuss is a senior from Madison, Indiana, who is double majoring in politics and English. Why did you choose Hillsdale College? After I visited and spoke with several students and alumni, I realized that I could not get what I wanted in an education anywhere but here. I wanted something beyond just mere learning or preparation for a job; I wanted my soul to be shaped in such a way that I could live a better life. What is […]

“I was looking for opportunities to do something meaningful in the Hillsdale Community,” says Shelly Peters, a senior Christian Studies major. Shelly, along with nearly forty other Hillsdale students, volunteers with the Renaissance School program led by senior math major Sam Ryskamp. The Renaissance school is one of Hillsdale College’s GOAL, or Great Opportunities for Assistance and Leadership, programs. Within the GOAL programs, student leaders from all across campus organize volunteers to work for non-profits in the Hillsdale area. Sam […]